Tragic Partings
by edlovesjuicyfruit73
Summary: Angie had always loved Derek, and she would until she died. The Alaskan wilderness proves to be cruel as she and Derek battle against the odds, set up for failure. Will their hearts ever be brought together? DerekxAngie Oneshot Deathfic. REVISED!
1. Tragic Partings

**Disclaimer: I do not own Trauma Center, the names, characters, places, or anything else affiliated with its copyright owner Atlus. This is for entertainment purposes only.**

**A/N: Ugh, why am I in such a depressed mood? It sucks! Well, here is my third installment of pairings, challenges, deathfics, as well as oneshots. There is also mention of my second installment, ****Immortal****, though you don't have to read it to understand this. It just ties in, is all.**

**This is especially hard to write because it's about a pairing I don't particularly care for, DerekxAngie. However, TCGeek challenged herself and inspired me to do so. So TCGeek, I hope this doesn't depress you too badly, but here you go. This is dedicated to you. (And if it sucks, you can always have me take it down).**

36-year-old Derek Stiles sped through the snow on that stormy Alaskan day. The sun barely peeked over the clouds, providing little sunlight. It was late afternoon, already becoming darker.

Beside him in the passenger seat sat Angie Thompson. She had been carsick for almost an hour now.

"Doctor, can we please slow down?" Angie asked, turning green in the face once more.

"I'm sorry, Ang, but if I stop now we'll have to find a hotel and I don't have any time to spare," he replied quickly. Dr. Miles Hoover had relapsed; he had returned to watch his hospital as it was torn down. He should've been recovering, but he insisted on being there when Montgomery Memorial was destroyed.

Had Markus Vaughn survived the encounter with Sephiran, he would have been the one to perform the operation, as he did so long ago when Hoover had multiple tumors that needed taken care of. Markus had told him to call him if he had a relapse, and since he had, no one could handle the job but Dr. Stiles. Derek agreed to the difficult operation, therefore speeding on through Alaska to guarantee they'd make it in time to save him. There was no time to lose.

"We'll make it, Derek," Angie assured him, placing her hand over his. He only smiled brightly in reply, still focused on the road.

"Hmm..." Derek contemplated, staring blankly at a fork in the road. "We'll take the way through the woods, maybe it's a shortcut."

"Oh, no, not another one of your shortcuts! We always get lost! C'mon, let's ask for directions," Angie interjected.

"Angie, I know what I'm doing. We don't need to ask for directions, I can find my way out of here and we'll be absolutely fine!" Derek retorted, veering to the right to take the forest path.

"What is it with men and asking for directions?!" Angie exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "Derek, you are so stubborn! Oh, just stop already!" Angie grabbed hold of the wheel, turning it to the left before he pulled into the path through the forest.

"Angie!" Derek growled, swatting her hand away. "I'm the driver; let me choose the road we take!"

"The road you're trying to take is the _wrong_ road! Clearly, the map shows that this road here is the correct route!" Angie hissed, pointing out the road on the map.

"Yes, but cutting through the forest will get us there _faster_, see?" Derek argued, pointing out that the forest too led them to the same place. "It's a shortcut. Trust me."

Angie sighed, reluctantly releasing the wheel. She had a bad feeling about this...

OooooooO

As Derek drove on through the forest, darkness set in as the night grew deeper. Angie feared they'd get lost, especially in the dark. Derek tried to ease her worries, but only seemed to make her worry more. Why hadn't he just taken the other, safer route?

"I'm tired..." Angie groaned, face pressed against the window.

"Go to sleep," Derek offered, fixated on the dirt road.

"Okay..." she said with a yawn, shutting her eyes. Within minutes, she was fast asleep, only to be roused from sleep after the car came to a screeching halt.

"Ouch!" she cried, rubbing her throbbing head, for it had hit the window... _hard_. "Why'd we stop...?"

"Angie, are you hurt?!" Derek asked in concern, staring wide-eyed at her.

"I'm okay... My head just banged against the window..." she mumbled.

"I'm so sorry," Derek apologized, stepping out of the car.

"What are you doing?" she queried, poking her head out the window.

"I think I hit something..." he muttered.

Before the rental car laid an injured wolf, barely clinging to life. It growled as he approached, hoping its warning would be enough to fend him off.

"Damnit..." he cursed, kneeling down beside the car-stricken creature. The snow was stained red with blood; the wolf had collided with the speeding car at quite the impact.

"Oh..." Angie crooned, gasping at the sight. "Derek I can't believe you hit it!"

"I tried to stop...!" he fought weakly.

"I told you this was a bad idea!" she retorted, storming back inside the car. She shuffled in the backseat for the medical supplies, finding them in the black bag Derek always took with him. She rushed back out, bag in hand. "We aren't vets, but maybe we can at least control the bleeding."

"Me operate on a wolf? In the snow? In front of a car in the dark...? Angie, that's... Crazy," Derek shook his head.

"You hit him, so you have to save him. C'mon, we gotta try!"

"But I'm a _human_ doctor!" Derek whined.

"Derek, please..." she murmured, green eyes flickering. "Please, try..."

As tears poured down her face, Derek knew what had to be done. If he didn't at least give it a shot, Angie would never let him forget it. He only nodded, accepting his bag from her. "Prepare the anesthesia."

Angie smiled, hugging him tightly. "I know you can do it," she whispered, brushing the tears away.

"Right." Derek rapidly changed into his scrubs and examined the wolf at a glance, then after a succinct briefing, declared: "Let's begin the operation."

Derek began by draining the blood, which was proving to be difficult due to the matted fur. It was difficult to tell dried prey's blood from the wolf's fresh wounds.

After he was certain all the blood had been drained, he accurately and quickly sutured the lacerations. When the wolf's vitals didn't stabilize, Derek opened him up for further examination. He found broken ribs, as he had suspected.

He drained the excess blood, and then with the use of his trusty forceps, removed the broken bones. Next, and very carefully, he repositioned the bones in their proper place and cemented them in using the antibiotic gel. Still, the vitals would not stabilize. Derek had a hunch why. One rib bone was missing; it was still inside the wolf somewhere. Using the ultrasound, he quickly located it and cut it out, replacing it and cementing it in. After patching up everything else, Derek closed his incision and let out a sigh of relief.

"Nice work Doctor Stiles!" Angie cheered. "You did it!"

"I couldn't have done it without you. Thanks, Ang." After changing out of his scrubs, he unexpectedly planted a tender kiss on her cheek. Her face flushed red almost instantly. What a surprise!

"Umm..." Angie wasn't quite sure what to say, but Derek made it clear words weren't necessary. He gave her a quick hug and thanked her again, then returned his attention to the wolf.

"So what should we do with him?" Derek asked.

"Let's just leave him over there where he can recover without worrying about getting hit again," Angie answered, pointing towards the trees on the side of the road. Derek agreed and with a little teamwork, the two carried the wolf over and laid him in the snow between two trees, bidding him farewell and good luck.

With the wolf safe from harm, the two stepped into the car and set off again, hoping they wouldn't ever have to operate on what was almost road-kill a second time.

OooooooO

"Angie?"

"Hmm?"

"Have you ever thought of... getting married?"

Angie turned to him, set aback by his question. They had barely done anything as a couple, much less thought of marriage. The kiss on the cheek earlier was the first time Derek had expressed any affection towards her besides caresses and hugs.

"Well..." she began, "not really, Derek."

"Oh..." he murmured under his breath. "Okay..."

"Have you?"

Derek nodded slowly, embarrassed that he'd asked. He almost wished he could take it back.

"You're a great guy, Derek..." Angie assured him, rubbing his hand. "You're smart, funny... You're an excellent doctor and you have a good heart... I really like you, Derek..."

"You mean all that...?" he inquired, averting his gaze from the road only slightly.

"Of course I do..."

"...Thanks, Angie." He flashed that winning smile her way. She couldn't help but smile back; his smiles were more contagious than anyone's.

Suddenly, the road ended, (as he'd taken a sharp turn and missed the "CAUTION: ROAD ENDS" sign) and the car plunged into a mass of trees. Derek slammed on the brakes, but too late. The car rolled down the slope, hitting numerous trees on the way. Angie held onto her seat for dear life, while Derek resumed attempting to stop the car. His tries all ended in failure, his struggle in vain. The car would stop eventually, for it had to; but it would not stop pleasantly.

After ten hectic minutes, the two had given up and prayed that they would survive the wreck that was sure to occur sooner or later. There was nothing they could do but wait.

Moments later, the car crashed into a large boulder, launching Derek through the windshield. He had fastened his seatbelt, but the car was a loaner, after all. The seatbelts were old and worn; all it took was a collision to snap it. This collision had done so.

Angie had suffered head trauma as her head smacked into the dashboard. She also had the wind knocked out of her when the airbag came up late, hitting her right in the face.

"Ohhh..." she moaned in agony, unfastening her seatbelt. The car had been completely totaled; she would not be able to open the doors nor the windows. She turned towards the driver's seat, just about to ask Derek if he was alright. Her words caught in her throat when he wasn't there. Upon further examination of her surroundings, she discovered the windshield had been shattered; surely Derek had been the cause.

To no prevail, she tried to open the doors and windows, finding they were too damaged to serve their purpose now. Becoming desperate, she climbed onto the dashboard and exited through the windshield where Derek had been launched out, cutting up her knees on the glass in the process.

"Derek!" she called out shrilly, sliding down the hood of the car and landing on the snow-covered ground below. She scanned the area, searching hopelessly for her partner. Her vision had been blurred due to the head trauma, not to mention the blizzard made seeing nearly impossible in itself. The snow was already six inches deep; the storm wasn't letting up either, nor did it look like it would anytime soon.

"Derek!" she cried once more, crawling across the snow. She gasped when her hand touched a warm, red liquid. Blood.

It was surely Derek buried beneath the heap of snow; this had to be his blood. She quickly unburied him, gasping when she saw his blood-covered and nearly mangled body. "D-Derek...?"

He didn't answer, only opening his eyes halfway and staring into hers. She was thankful he was alive, but feared he wouldn't last much longer without help...

"Oh, Derek..." She looked him over the best she could, discovering abrasions, bruises, and ribs protruding from his abdomen. His collar bone was broken as well.

"An...gie..." he whispered, tears streaming down his face. "Are you hurt...?"

"No..." Angie replied, shaking her head. "You're hurt..."

No sooner had she explained his condition did things take a sharp turn for the worst.

Angie glanced over a couple yards from the car, noticing two grizzly bear cubs. One was lying beneath the tire, dead, while the other was mourning over the sibling by nuzzling him and crying (as grizzly cubs do have certain noises for when they're hungry, when they are upset, and when they are calling to their mother).

Angie swallowed hard as she heard heavy footsteps fast approaching. The cub had gotten his mother's attention alright!

The grizzly bear mother tore through the brush, roaring menacingly as she sent Angie flying with a blow of her mighty paw. She knew the cry her cub was producing was urgent, but she hadn't known it was a mournful one. After noticing her dead cub, (for she knew he was dead due to the blood that reeked in the air) she became even more ravenous, hungry for revenge against the humans who'd taken his life. Not to mention they could still take the life of her last cub; she had to protect him at any cost!

Angie landed a few feet away, the wind knocked out of her again. She was lucky the blow hadn't snapped her neck.

Before she was able to regain full consciousness, the grizzly mother was tearing Derek apart. Derek could barely scream as she bit and slashed through his flesh. This was the type of attack the grizzly had selected; the painful, unlivable one. She wouldn't back down for a single moment. Each _second_ was vital if she would kill the human before more came to help, for that had always happened when she attacked one of them.

After several minutes of pure torture, the grizzly was merely toying with him. (Backup would have come by now; there was no way anyone could stop her at this point, nor would they try). She'd throw him up in the air and smack him back down to the ground with a stroke of her paw. She would drag him by the arm, eventually leading to snapped tendons and broken bones.

Before Angie could gather her strength, the bear had wrecked havoc on his already broken body. He now suffered massive head trauma, profuse internal bleeding, broken limbs, all broken ribs, and a broken back. These problems linked to more and more problems, all beyond repair. He was losing blood faster than he could blink in a minute.

The bear roared in his face once more, crushing his chest under her massive paws.

"No!!" Angie shrieked, lunging towards them. She grabbed onto one of the bear's skin-folds, clenching it as tightly as she could to keep hold. As the bear wrestled to overthrow her, Angie did all she could to distract her from harming Derek further. She bit, kicked, and batted away the bear, praying she could fend her off.

The bear had had enough of playing around; she stood up on her hind legs and roared, warning Angie that this was her final chance to get off before things got nasty. Angie would not give up.

The grizzly ran at full speed towards a tree, smashing Angie into it. She moaned in pain, eyes stinging with tears as she struggled to hold on longer. Again the bear crushed the helpless nurse between herself and the tree. Angie was losing the battle.

The bear repeated this move over and over, finally shaking Angie from her back. The blonde fell to the ground, terribly injured and hopeless. She hadn't done enough.

The bear trudged through the snow towards Derek, ready to finish him. Angie pled that somehow he would survive the final blow; she prayed silently, weeping as she did so.

Raising a paw, the bear prepared to end it. Angie stared in horror, immobilized with fear.

Suddenly, wolf howls were heard in the distance. The bear averted her gaze towards the clearing, whiffing the air. She growled lowly, setting eyes upon the wolf pack that was coming to Derek's rescue. At the head of the pack was the wolf Derek had operated on earlier. He had remembered his scent.

Sensing that Derek was in danger, the wolf assembled his pack and took off towards where the scent was coming from. The smell of blood filled the air as well, attracting him to that spot further. In the nick of time, the pack arrived to aid them to Angie's relief.

Two wolves took on the daunting task of chasing the bear's cub, which would surely lure her away. As the wolves produced deep-throated growls and nipped at the cub's heels, it took off running in the other direction. The enraged mother roared, taking chase. The remainder of the pack chased after her, ready for an ambush.

The leader, however, remained at the scene. He slowly approached Derek, sniffing him. He had quite an awful limp from the pain that still lingered, for the operation had been a snappy one. He was still recovering, but with limp and all, he had made it before the bear had taken Derek. What a miracle it was! Or... was it?

He whimpered quietly, lying beside the surgeon. He licked his wounds, nuzzling him and whining. The wolf was acting exactly like a dog.

"It's you..." Angie whispered, dragging herself over to the two. She pet the wolf on the head, giving him a tight hug around the neck. "Th-thank you so much... I thought he was a goner..."

The wolf only whimpered in response, still determined to wake Derek.

"Derek...?" Angie queried, shaking him gently. "...D-Derek...?"

The wolf backed away from the humans, throwing his head back and howling his mourning song. The howl was pitiful and heartbreaking. Angie stared back in awe at the wolf; how had he known Derek was dead?

Even Angie hadn't seen the signs; she could've sworn she saw Derek's chest rising in precious inhales and exhales, but perhaps she had been mistaken.

"No..." she muttered, shaking her head. She seized his arm, exploring for a pulse on the wrist. When she did not discover one, she checked the neck for a pulse, hoping the wrist had merely been cut of circulation. The jugular vein did not throb beneath the skin either.

"M-my hands are just numb, that's all..." she forced herself to believe, trembling violently. She laid her head on his chest, listening hard for a heartbeat. But she heard nothing; Derek was gone.

"Derek... No, no... It can't be..." she covered her mouth, tears pouring down her face. "Derek!!"

Angie burst into tears, crying in his shirt and soaking it. Just hours ago he had been bright and alert, speaking of marriage and further expressing his love towards her. Now, he was nothing but a corpse, a forgotten and faint memory...

"Derek... You... You can't be gone... How will I... Live without you...?"

She continued to bawl, sobbing in unison with the wolf's heart-wrenching death-song. Soon that howl was joined by others, the howls of his pack. They had survived the bear's wrath and all returned in one piece, virtually uninjured. At least they had survived...

No more could be said for Derek.

"You can't leave me Derek... I... love you..." she whispered, placing a kiss on his head. She pressed his dirty-blonde hair back, sobbing more as she remembered how she used to do so as he slept. She would never be able to do that again... He wasn't sleeping, nor would he ever sleep again. The only place he would sleep would be in heaven.

"Oh, Derek..." she muttered. "I have always loved you... _and always will..._"

As the night deepened, the howls of the wolves intensified, accompanied by Angie's crying. Memories of Derek flooded into her all at once, making her heart ache. Nothing could ever hurt her this way. She never imagined Derek would die. She had never even _considered _the thought; in her eyes, he was immortal.

Angie wondered if she had acted sooner if Derek would have survived. Had he been too far gone to save after the wreck?

She didn't know now. She didn't know anything. She was trapped in a void in which there was no escape. A void of excruciating pain and misery; a void where happiness could never thrive.

Angie tried to think of the good times, tried to mend her broken heart and pull through as Derek would have wanted, but she found this to be impossible. She couldn't live now. She didn't deserve to live after letting him die...

And so, Angie gave up. Her will to live had melted away, leaving her raw and vulnerable. All she could do to comfort herself is supply Derek with her body warmth, imagining they were married and were simply falling asleep together. If she thought hard enough, she could just imagine the sound of his steady heartbeat as it lulled her to sleep...

The wolves' howl grew more lonely and sad. The depressing song was so loud that all in the forest could hear it. They did not suspend that heartfelt howl until dawn.

OooooooO

A deer pranced off in the distance, its scent carrying to the predators. They all broke into a sprint, ready to hunt as they were born to do.

The wolves would not remember the humans; it was not in their nature to do so.

The leader watched as his pack took chase after the elegant deer, cocking his head to the right as they took it down. How skilled they had become...

Food wasn't on his mind right now, though. He was part dog as well, carrying many of their traits and instincts.

His dog side took over, compelling him to remain with the humans in a loyal and respectful manner. His stomach growled with hunger; still he sat frozen to that spot.

He reproached Angie, still limping and in a cautious fashion, nuzzling her hand. When she did not respond, he knew his senses hadn't lied; she was gone.

He craned his neck towards the wolf pack and their kill, looking back again at Angie one last time. He no longer had to remain here. His debt had been repaid. He raced off towards them, barely able to make it without a stagger in his sprint, leaving the humans to rest in peace.

Angela Thompson had frozen to death beside her beloved Derek Stiles. Never would she breathe another breath; she too was gone forever.

At least what lied beyond was a haven where she could remain beside Derek forever.

_Angela Thompson and Derek Stiles could love one another forever in the afterlife, just as fate had intended..._

THE END

**A/N: Was that okay? Please review, let me know if I did well or if I should burn it and never touch base with it again! TCGeek, I'd love to hear from you too so you can critique my attempt at DerekxAngie! **


	2. Epilogue

**HA! Not so fast, turn your little tail around! I have revised my story, you see, and I recommend you read my partially revised version because it contains information I didn't make clear before. So, you can thank Tris for pointing those out! She is an excellent teacher, and since I am a student more or less on here, taking her advice was a very good idea! So, step back to chapter one there and then return for the epilogue, which she also suggested. I didn't forget you Doctor Hoover!! (Yes, it's quite a long epilogue, but the length is necessary!!) **

_Epilogue_

"You can't wait another minute, Doctor Hoover, you have to come now or you're going to die! Derek Stiles is not coming, I assure you! He hasn't contacted us and he'd be here by now! Please, we must get you to a hospital immediately!" Eric called to him, barely audible over the rapidly spinning propellers of the helicopter.

"He promised he'd be here; I thought for sure he'd--"

"Doctor, please!" the red-head shouted.

"...Let's go..."

Miles Hoover stepped onto the helicopter, barely able to accomplish the feat without Eric's help. The relapse had taken quite the toll on his worn body. He was fortunate to still be alive!

As he was transported to a hospital in a nearby town, he couldn't help but wonder if Derek had been in an accident. When Derek made a promise, he'd been known to keep them, hadn't he? That's what Markus had said when recommending him, should anything happen to himself before a relapse hit. Of course, with Hoover's dumb luck, it had. And shortly after Markus had perished too...

Fate can be funny sometimes. In this case, it was just cruel. It had taken Markus _and_ his replacement! If that isn't horrible luck, I don't know what is.

A few moments later, Hoover was carried in on a stretcher and admitted to the ER. The tumors were causing a rapid vital decrease, also causing him excruciating stomach pain. Immediate excision was required.

"You'll be alright, sir," Dr. Gertrude Milford assured him as she administered the anesthesia. His eyes shut slowly, his vision fading before the gurney was wheeled the next hallway.

OooooooO

Hoover was grateful to be alive and free of his damned tumors after they'd returned in the relapse. He was on a quick road to recovery, and he was sure he'd never go back to Alaska. There was something about that place that seemed to make him ill; he'd never seemed truly healthy when he was living there. Not to mention the tumors reappeared while visiting. Something in Alaska certainly didn't want him there!

"Thank you," he told the surgeon, Gertrude, as she glanced at his charts. She looked up and smiled. She was quite pretty, having long and shiny brunette hair and captivating green eyes. She was thinner than she liked to be, for she was always teased by the other staff for keeping her figure though she gorged herself in the cafeteria.

"It's my job, Mr. Hoover. I don't expect another relapse, but if one should occur, you know to be admitted to the hospital right away. If you're able, give me a call and I'll whip the surgeon who's caring for you into shape! You deserve the best treatment possible," she explained. She wasn't just being polite, either. It was true; if another relapse did occur, he'd need a damn good surgeon to take care of it. The more he relapsed, the more risky the surgery. Having a well-skilled surgeon was vital.

"I'll try not to burden anyone again," he said with a chuckle.

"Please, you're no burden to anyone! That's what we're here for, to care for and treat the ill. I didn't become a doctor to sign papers away all my life; I want to help people," Gertrude stated.

"Well, you certainly helped me. I'll not return to Alaska again, so hopefully this won't happen a third time."

"It was merely bad timing, it can't possibly have anything to do with Alaska. I expect you to fully recover within a few weeks, so you should be discharged soon too. Keep well, Mr. Hoover," she said as she shook his hand. He thanked her and bade her farewell, doubting he'd see her again. If he did have another relapse, he'd be taken care of by surgeons closer to home!

"Check this out, Doctor," Eric urged as he stepped in the room, his nose buried in the newspaper. He bumped into the side of the bed, not judging the distance he'd been away from it. He quickly apologized and blushed, handing Dr. Hoover the article.

He scanned it, reading it through once. His eyes widened; he reread it over and over. It couldn't be...

_Derek Stiles and Angela Thompson were found in an Alaskan forest this morning at 10:03am. Judging by their wounds, they had been attacked by a bear or other large predator, though Stiles' wounds seemed more severe. _

_Their car was found not far from their bodies, suggesting that they'd sustained injuries from the wreck before being attacked by the animal. There is no doubt that Stiles died from massive blood loss from his severe injuries. From what could be seen at an external examination, he suffered head trauma and several broken bones, further supporting the blood loss theory. _

_Angela Thompson's injuries were not as severe, but it does appear she suffered from head trauma as well. She also sustained animal-inflicted injuries, though they weren't as life-threatening as the ones Stiles had. _

_It is theory that Thompson didn't die from the blood loss, but from the dropping temperature. Many believe she froze to death, for she showed these signs. _

_More on this story is not yet known, but once the bodies are autopsied, that information will be released to know how they died for certain. _

The article was quite blatant if Hoover could say so himself, leaving many empty holes and not supplying him with much information that could have been added. It was surely a rushed product, for the author hadn't even given credit to themselves or the other organizations!

Though it was poor for a published article, it gave enough information to lead Hoover to a devastating conclusion.

"Eric..." Hoover began slowly, drawing in a shallow breath.

"Sir?"

"I can't help but think... this is my fault..."

Eric was speechless, unable to provide any comfort for him. Perhaps he was right; had he not relapsed, maybe they would still be here. But then again, it could be fate. No one could be certain.

Miles Hoover buried his face in his hands, wishing he could've taken back his request for them. Had he known they would perish on their way, he would never have asked them to come.

He felt so... awful. They were young; they still had so many more years, so much more to live for... Hoover was old, and he knew he wouldn't last much longer. Was his life truly worth theirs?

He crumpled the article in his fist, tossing it to the floor in anger. He would never be able to forgive himself for this; never.

It could very well haunt him for the rest of time. Because of him, two young people died in the cruelest of ways. His mind would never rest again. _Couldn't_ rest again.

Two hearts that would never beat again... How tragic it was, for those hearts wanted to beat only for one another...


End file.
